When I first encountered ‘Pope Innocent X’ at the Doria Pamphili Gallery in Rome, I was struck by one over-whelming and unshakeable impression: that man looks exactly like Gene Hackman. The resemblance is uncanny. Maybe we’re all walking around with recycled faces, our own doppelgangers lost in obscurity. One thing is for certain: Gene Hackman’s own double lived more than three hundred years ago, he schemed and plotted to obtain ultimate power, and he is forever immortalized in Diego Velazquez’ masterpiece of intensity and psyche.
From left to right, actor Gene Hackman and detail from 'Pope Innocent X' by Diego Velazquez.
To see the full painting, visit this website.
-Jayme Catalano
